My point is just simply that despite the sucky numbers in teen pregnancy and abortion and whatnot, the numbers are declining. That's something to be thankful for.
I think No. However, I agree that parents should be talking to their 6th graders, certainly 7th graders about sex. We have had at least one 8th grader who is expecting a baby each year. I can only think of one year that there wasn't one I knew about at the school where I was teaching. The kids just don't know what can happen and I don't want to be the to teach them. Parents have to do it. They need to know, cause some boy or girl is going to suggest something to them and if they don't know the risks and consequences, it can mess up their whole life. Regardless of "how much better" anyone thinks it is, I still run into students on a regular basis who have a child of their own and are still in high school. It is a hard way to start your adult life.
See the references following for the different programs used. Mandatory classes for parents or voluntary? Again this may only work for a percentage of the families. It is a part of the answer because people of that age will not believe it could happen to them. They will live forever just as they are now, which is why so many wind up not living as long. The pure abstinece prorams have not been in place long enough for good data, but the programs are working, which includes all types of education and condoms being provided in some of the schools. But not just the absinece only program, which needs more data .... Some info on the subject so we are more on the same page : http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fsschcon.htm School Condom Availability An increase in reported sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV/AIDS, among adolescents has prompted many communities to take action to protect their youth. One proven method is to provide comprehensive sexuality education along with school based programs that make condoms available to sexually active youth. Numerous national health organizations have adopted policies in support of school condom availability as a component of comprehensive sexuality education. http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/shelbyknox/special_overview.html While Dr. Kirby's study does provide some encouragement by identifying programs that work to reduce pregnancy and STD infection rates — programs that incorporated comprehensive or abstinence-plus messages — it was unable to come to a significant conclusion about the effectiveness of abstinence-only curricula. While none of the programs judged effective in the Emerging Answers study were abstinence-only programs, the authors caution that no firm conclusions about such programs can be drawn until further research is done. One of the difficulties involved in that research stems from the fact that many abstinence-only programs have only been in place for a few years, while many schools have used comprehensive or abstinence-plus programs for longer periods. Increased funding for research on abstinence-only programs is expected in the next few years, and Dr. Kirby anticipates that more conclusive results on abstinence-only education may be available by 2006. Until that time, political division within the country, and tensions between groups with different views of sex education, will likely persist, ensuring that the subject remains controversial. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=9561871&dopt=Abstract CONTEXT: While making condoms available in high schools has provoked much debate, evidence on the actual effects of such programs on students' attitudes and behavior is sparse. METHODS: Prior to implementation of a condom availability program in a Los Angeles County high school, 1,945 students in grades 9-12 (98% of eligible students) completed a self-administered anonymous survey on their sexual behavior and on related knowledge and attitudes; one year later, 1,110 students (59% of eligible students) completed a follow-up survey. RESULTS: There was no significant change over time in the percentage of males or females who had ever had vaginal intercourse or who had had vaginal intercourse during the year prior to the survey. The percentage of males who reported using condoms every time they engaged in vaginal intercourse during the past year increased significantly, from 37% to 50%, and the percentage of males who reported condom use at recently initiated first vaginal intercourse increased from 65% to 80%. On the other hand, female respondents showed no significant change in their condom use. The self-reported likelihood of using a condom for vaginal intercourse during the following year did not change significantly for students who had had vaginal intercourse, but it increased dramatically for those who, had never had vaginal intercourse. The students' attitudes toward sex and condom use either remained the same between surveys or changed in a direction favoring less sexual behavior and greater risk prevention. CONCLUSIONS: The condom availability program appears not to have produced an increase in sexual activity among high school students, and it appears to have led to improved condom use among males. The apparent strong effect on students' intention to use condoms and on males' use at first vaginal intercourse suggests that such programs may have a particular impact on the least sexually experienced adolescents. http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3006798.html Impact of a High School Condom Availability Program on Sexual Attitudes and Behaviors
True, and certainly room for improvement too. Maybe we can eventually approach the level of the other industrialized nations. :wink:
A percentage is better than nothing. I've read tons of information on the subject. Which is why I said that some say it's the abstinence program, some say it's better contraceptives being used. We will probably never fully know. But regardless, obviously something is going good since the numbers are declining.
